Sky / Seekers Voice Spectra Vocoder

Sky Soundlab Voice Spectra Vocoder rack for sale. Also produced under the Seekers name.

These were produced in small quantities in the early 90s in Japan just as other technology was taking over. They were very advanced and sound superior to most other vintage vocoders.

Alex Ball did a great demo of one of these which you can find below.

MORE INFO (from the Internet!):

This has a very clear sound for an analogue vocoder: a big part of why it makes voices so intelligible is the syllable function which inserts noise bursts into the signal for “s” and “sh” syllables. This is a pretty rare feature on an analogue vocoder, and it really helps with intelligibility. The syllable function is also really cool for creating rhythms.

The Voice Spectra has a  good reputation in Japan for it’s clear timbre, and for the Speech Tracking Function (STF). STF is basically a pitch-to-voltage converter which functions by reading the glottal pulses of the speech signal. The control voltages from the output of the pitch extractor are fed to the VCO, so that this follow the cadences of the speech signal. STF is an interesting function only to be found on more expensive vocoders like EMS.

Everyone familiar with vocoding will appreciate the Voice Spectra’s compressor and Voiced/Unvoiced detector.

The Voice spectra is a high quality studio-vocoder, appreciated by the staff at music studios, professional musicians, etc. in Japan. The articulation of the output signal is extremely good, being distinguished by remarkable clarity and distinctiveness.

Controls (from effectsdatabase):

• Mic / Line Switch – Switching to mic level or line level.
• Input Level – Adjusting the level of the input signal.
• Compression Ratio – Adjusting mic input signal when it’s unstable
• Instrument Level – Adjusting the level of instrument input.
• Instrument level Indicator – Usually green but flashes in orange when the input signal is over.
• External / Internal Switch – Switching to external instrument or built-in oscillator.
  Oscillator / Speech-Tracking Switch – Switching to the normal built-in oscillator or speech tracking.
• -1 Octave / -2 Octave Switch – Switching octave of speech-tracking.
• Oscillator Frequency – Changing the frequency of built-in oscillator.
• Thru / Effect Balance – Becoming the original sound of speech (through) when turned to left. Becoming the effected sound (vocoder) when turned to right.
• Unvoice Level – Adjusting the noise level (emphasising a consonant).